Thread: How much??

Sorry, should have explained; I have had poor experiences with insurers (cat and household and other) in the past and once you get into the T&Cs it's a nightmare. Instead I am putting away a "float" in a savings account but at all times I expect to be able to meet *any* vets bills from either my normal income or from savings. My Jess had £3,000 in vets bills back in 2005 when she had heart problems - and even after all that she still had to leave us :( I only queried certain items that the vets tried to "sneak past" grieving owners - they grudgingly owned up and cleared about 10% of the total. Hence I'll never use them again.

But yes, insurance is a must if you cannot afford to put up the money yourself in case things go wrong. A savings account is a good place to withhold money from greedy, conniving, evil insurance companies if you can.

My only concern is that vets prices - especially for those procedures that are expected to be covered by insurance - are clearly increased because the vets know the insurance company has a set of charges they will pay without question and so there is no price pressure on them. Those intentionally uninsured people like myself do not get a fair, open and competitive field to choose treatment for out pets. Try getting a printed price list from your vet. Go on. All of them will happily "estimate" costs on the phone but none will commit to them. Ever.